Sump off today to replace crank seals

[DeeTurbo]

Hi,

I had the sump off today and I was surprised at how clean it was inside.





This is the 340k miles car I've got.

The GTI6 I did the seals on last year was all discoloured and the hockey seal were hard like plastic were as the seals in this were still soft.

I thought the the hockey seals were going to be worse but they don't seem bad.



I didn't realise the bearing cap bolts were stretch bolts on these. I take it that means I need to replace with new and I can't (shouldn't) reuse them? They were a right pain to undo, so tight, even with a breaker bar.

[welshpug]

cap bolts are not stretch type.

[DeeTurbo]

That's what I thought but it say's in the Haynes manual 25nm plus 60 degrees. I thought when it says to turn X degrees it's normally a stretch bolt, is that not right?

[welshpug]

nope.

[DeeTurbo]

That's good then, thanks.

[DeeTurbo]

If anyone's interested here's a pic of the sump, only wiped down.



I can't believe how clean it is with just a wipe.

This is how I installed the bearing cap and how I made sure the hockey seals didn't stretch out too much. It says in the Haynes manual to use thin strips no more than 0.125mm. I used a coke can, only 0.1mm thick so ideal.



I installed a new clutch release fork as the OE part rusts so wears the bushes quickly and it's one of the reasons the clutch goes heavy with the rough surface against the bush. The replacement part I sourced is zinc plated so should stay smooth and rust free for longer.



The damage from when the last release bearing failed and the fork went through the diagram spring.



I seem to have some odd wear marks on the OS drive shaft.



I also installed the newer style bushes with the rubbers seal. The bottom bush has also got a drain hole so water doesn't collect in it to cause the shaft to rust.



The bearing seems to have some odd where marks to.

[Ruan]

That looks fantastic for the amount of miles - out of interest, which oil have you used for that period? Total Quartz 9000?

Just proves if you keep on top of them, those engines will last a ludicrous amount of time.

[DeeTurbo]

I used Total Quartz 7000 for something like the first 200k then switched to Fuchs as GSF and ECP stopped doing Total.

Then at 250k I thought because I'm changing it every 6k I'd get bulk container (20-25 litres) but I could only get Triple QX or Carlub for the last 50k or so.

Yesterday, I stuck 7000 back in.

I also sent off a oil sample to oil lab for a report and that came back all ok.

There are some light marks in the bearing shell that worried me, I'll pop some more photos up to night.


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[DeeTurbo]

[welshpug]

that looks fine, no scoring or pitting to it.

[DeeTurbo]

Cool, that confirmation makes me happy.

I really could do with finding out why there is a slight vibration around 2500rpm. It's there through all gears and is annoying 70mph.

[fatlapit]

drive shaft bearing on rear engine mount??

[DeeTurbo]

That bearing seemed ok, there was no roughness in it.

[Poodle]

That really is super clean, bearings are as good as any i've seen come out of a used engine. Fair play for looking afyer it so well!

[madmadmax]

i'm doing the same thing this week end if mine look this good and thay should i will be pleased

[DeeTurbo]

That really is super clean, bearings are as good as any i've seen come out of a used engine. Fair play for looking after it so well!

That's is very reassuring to hear from another person.

i'm doing the same thing this week end if mine look this good and thay should i will be pleased

Please let us know how you got on.

I found with mine the hockey seals were fine and I think the weeping was coming from between the sump and the block that side. The actual large oil seal wasn't too bad ether.

The bit I hated most on the job was the bearing cap bolts, they were so tight and to do them up to the right torque and angle was difficult.

On the way home from work I could smell a slight smell of oil. I've just been out, had the engine tray off and it seems there is a bit of oil coming from the drive shaft seals both side, drivers side might be the speed sensor housing.

I've given it a wipe around, left the tray off for now so I can check in the morning and after the trip to work.

The drive shaft seals I've used are the newer type without the plastic ring and I might have knocked the OS one in too far.



should there be this much gap between the gearbox and driveshaft?

[Poodle]

I would be trying to knock that driveshaft further in, might be ok though. Did it go home and stop with a thump? That's generally a good sign if so.

The seal has probably been knocked too far in, as you say, they're a pita to get right. Are you sure you didn't nick them with the driveshafts when putting them back in? Again, a pita to do, seen it happen a lot.

[zx_volcane]

engine looking fantastic for miles - just looking after it regularly has certainly paid off

[DeeTurbo]

I would be trying to knock that driveshaft further in, might be ok though. Did it go home and stop with a thump? That's generally a good sign if so.

The seal has probably been knocked too far in, as you say, they're a pita to get right. Are you sure you didn't nick them with the driveshafts when putting them back in? Again, a pita to do, seen it happen a lot.

I normally fit the seal the same as the old one but this time I noticed there was a ridge behind where the seal goes so thought it should go back to it and also the old seal was a different shape and it would have been difficult to get the new and old lip in the same place.

Last night I put a pry bar behind the drive shaft and levered it out slightly and it went back with a clunk so guess it's home.

I've never damaged the lip of a seal before. I'm normally spot on with aligning my shaft before pushing it in, as I'm sure most you guys are lol.

This morning I could still smell a hint of oil as I got to work but I couldn't see any down the diff. I'll see how it is tonight.

If I see oil tonight I'll drain the box, pull out the shafts and the seal slightly.

engine looking fantastic for miles - just looking after it regularly has certainly paid off

Thank you. That's definitely the thing, regular oil changes is the key also the longest the car has ever stood is a month. Basically bought my girlfriend a car and I wanted to make sure it was reliable before she had it so I used that for a month.

[DeeTurbo]

Got home to night and no noticeable smell of oil and no sign of any more oil.

I might have a spilt some oil while filling the box.

[Poodle]

It's amazing what can be achieved with proper maintenance.

With you on the seals, just know it's not the easiest to do while struggling on a driveway. Glad to hear it all looks good, here's to many more thousands of miles!